ADOS testing not required for ASD diagnosis by developmental-behavioral pediatricians - News-Medical.Net

Trained developmental-behavioral pediatricians tin mostly diagnose autism spectrum upset (ASD) successful young children without the request for further Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) testing, finds a prospective multicenter study. The study, conducted done the Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Research Network (DBPNet) and led by Boston Children's Hospital, was published October 17 successful the diary JAMA Pediatrics.

The ADOS was primitively developed arsenic a probe tool. Through semi-structured observations, specially trained evaluators measure children's connection skills, societal interaction, and imaginative usage of materials.

The ADOS was ne'er designed to beryllium utilized successful the clinic. But currently, ADOS investigating is often required for young children to person an ASD diagnosis that is accepted by aboriginal involution agencies, schools, and insurers. This survey shows that successful the bulk of cases, young children whitethorn beryllium capable to person a diagnostic valuation for ASD by a developmental-behavioral pediatrician without utilizing the ADOS."

William Barbaresi, MD, Study's Principal Investigator and Chief of the Division of Developmental Medicine astatine Boston Children's

ADOS medication is clip consuming, adds further outgo to the diagnostic process, and determination are not capable radical trained to administer it. "The request for ADOS investigating has go a obstruction to timely diagnosis and initiation of treatment," Barbaresi says. "Young children tin hold months oregon adjacent years for an assessment, making it hard for them to entree intensive aboriginal involution services erstwhile they are astir effectual -; ideally starting astatine astir 24 months of age."

The survey progressive 349 children aged 18 months to 5 years who were evaluated astatine 9 world pediatric centers. Developmental-behavioral pediatricians (DBPs) archetypal made a diagnosis based connected their objective assessment. A specially trained clinician past administered the ADOS, the results of which were shared with the DBP, who past could revise their diagnosis.

In 90 percent of cases, the diagnosis including the ADOS was accordant with the archetypal objective diagnoses. Consistency was astir apt erstwhile the clinician felt highly definite of their archetypal diagnosis.

"Overall, this survey is bully news," says Barbaresi. "We judge it has the imaginable to alteration existent signifier by reducing hold times for diagnostic evaluations truthful that children tin person early, intensive attraction for ASD." The different participating centers were the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Children's Hospital Colorado, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, University of California-Davis, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Hospital of St. John of God (Linz, Austria), Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital (Cleveland, Ohio); and the Children's Hospital astatine Montefiore (Bronx, NY).

The survey was funded by the Maternal Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (UA3MC20218). The authors study nary conflicts of interest.